


Rainy Day

by Floralfatality



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Earth, Homesick Lance (Voltron), Insecure Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) Angst, M/M, One Shot, Rain, Supportive Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 22:39:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14507022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Floralfatality/pseuds/Floralfatality
Summary: After all the recent craziness, the team finally gets some down time to visit their families back on Earth. You'd think it would be a dream come true, but for one of the paladins, facing his family has lead to some harsh realisations about his position. With no one else around, it's up to Keith to try and fix it.





	Rainy Day

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic contains some light swearing and some light Klance. Sorry if you were hoping for heavy smut, haha. I just watched the series recently and fell in love. I wanted to write something about Lance and how he misses the rain, and this is where it went. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> This oneshot is based after the events of season 4 but before season 5 begins. I wrote this just prior to the season 5 release so apologies if not everything matches up correctly.
> 
> Obviously the rights for Voltron: Legendary Defender go to Dreamworks, but the story is all mine!

Lance sat with his head back and eyes closed, letting the water tumble over his skin. He was left with a ticklish echo of pressure as the plump beads slid down to his jaw, a sensation that made his lips twitch with a smile. He was soaked but he didn’t care. It was so good to feel the rain again.

Sure, he’d seen rain on other planets, but it was never the same; always something wrong with the smell in the air or the weight of the droplets which splashed in a slightly off colour across his armour. He just wanted to enjoy this for as long as he could, before the repetitiveness drove his senses into numbness, before the wonder ceased and he could sink back into a longing sigh. The mere idea of stepping back into reality made his bottom lip quiver; but no, he wasn’t going to ruin this moment with heavy thoughts. He was going to cherish it, for as long as he could.

He peeled his lashes, stuck together by moisture, apart and let his gaze skim the horizon like a finger over felt. The rain created a translucent veil over the scenery, dying it a faded myriad of blues. He watched the ocean thrash and cower beneath the pelting from the gloomy sky and took a deep breath, fancying he could smell the power in the air, like the smoke from a God’s wrathful strike.

So long he’d stared out into the void of space, dreaming he saw a raindrop in the form of a shooting star, knowing that that was impossible but letting himself believe it anyway. Forcing himself to believe it anyway. Every little reminder that he was so far from home would send a harpoon into his chest. He could feel the pull of the rope on the other end, sometimes from his family; other times, merely the musty sweet smell of the sand or the serenity of everyday life. He missed rolling out of bed in the morning and not having anything better to do than ditch his mechanics class at the garrison. Now, playing hooky meant toying with the fate of the universe.

‘Lance?’

He was shaken from his trance when he heard Shiro’s firm tone come clear over the receiver in his helmet. He sighed, picking it up from the ground beside him and pulling it over his sopping wet hair, cherishing those last few droplets as they pattered over his skin like frigid little ballet shoes.

‘Go for Lance,’ he said unenthusiastically. He went cross-eyed staring at one glassy pearl of water clinging to the end of a mahogany strand of hair.

‘Sorry, bud, time to get going.’ The pearl dropped heavily onto the tip of his nose and he sniffed quietly, twitching as it rolled down to his chin. ‘You’ve got twenty minutes to get back to the meeting point.’ He sounded sorry, but he didn’t say it, probably because he thought Lance would latch onto any sign of remorse and use it to weasel his way into getting extra time with his family. That wouldn’t be a problem though. Lance had already left them behind long ago.

He gave his affirmation to the leader and disconnected, wrapped up in memories of his departure. He’d known today was the day they’d have to leave Earth and he’d wanted plenty of time to make the rounds and say goodbye properly. Who knew when he’d have the chance again. _If_ he’d have the chance again. As a paladin of Voltron, he was risking his life every time he rolled out of bed in the morning. He didn’t want to die having never let his family know how much they meant to him. After what he’d done, leaving them without a single clue as to where he’d gone, they deserved to know that he never stopped thinking about them.

They’d put up a little memorial in the living room, a loving shrine to honour their lost son, brother, cousin, uncle. The way his Mama’s words had trembled when she told him about how they’d searched, the way the sparkle in her dark eyes had retreated when she told him with a pained smile how they’d been so close to losing hope; it made his throat close up, made his apologies burn like acid on his tongue, poisoning each ‘sorry’ so that it felt like an insult instead of a loving plea. How could he have let them believe that? How could he have done that to them?

But of course, he knew the answer; because of Voltron.

He caught himself, once again, wishing he’d never left, but even an unvoiced lie made his heart judder in spite towards himself. He didn’t regret becoming a paladin; in fact, it was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. Exploring the galaxy with his friends, playing the hero, meeting hundreds of cute alien girls; what’s not to like? It just sucked that in order to do all that, he’d had to leave his entire life behind him. He’d done what he’d had to when he’d left Earth, but that didn’t mean the consequences stung any less.

His family were so understanding when he’d said he had to leave again; he had a responsibility to the entire universe after all. He wished they’d told him not to go. He wished they’d shouted at him, screamed at him, told him how they really felt. Having them tell him how proud they were, barely biting back pleads to stay as he walked down the garden path; it had been like getting another explosion in the back. It left his insides feeling just as scrambled, just as pained.

He looked up at the red lion who was poised beside him, inactive for the moment.

‘S’alright for you,’ he mumbled, ‘you get to spend every day with your family.’ His thought sauntered into the realm of curiosity, as they often did, distracting him from more sombre questions. ‘Would you consider the other lions your family? I mean, you were all made from the same giant space rock, right? Does that make you… siblings?’ The lion sat stoically, its tail dangling over the cliff edge next to Lance’s legs. Of course, he hadn’t expected a reply.

‘I think that would make them quintuplets.’

Lance felt a jolt in his chest and spun around in a panic. Sure enough, there was Keith, staring up at his old lion with an inquisitive expression.

‘Where did you come from?!’ asked Lance, his fingers digging into the damp grass like tent pegs.

Keith looked surprised by the slight bite in his bark. ‘Hello to you too.’

‘Sorry, just… you can’t sneak up on people like that!’ Lance huffed, throwing an arm out emphatically. ‘What are you doing here?’

Keith did that little thing he did when he was confused, making his eyes all big and innocent. Lance hated that look. It reminded him of the family cat when it would watch him working in the yard.

Another tug on the harpoon.

‘The Blades of Marmora are helping out on the next mission, remember? My cruiser’s too slow so I’m hitching a ride with Shiro.’

Lance went to rub his head in frustration, only to end up smacking his hand off his visor. ‘No,’ he grunted, trying to shake the ache from his fingertips, ‘I mean what are you doing _here_? How did you even find me?’

‘Well, I –‘

Keith stopped short as Lance suddenly gasped, his neck snapping around faster than he could blink. He glared at the robotic feline beside him, eyes filled with wildfire. ‘You sold me out, didn’t you?! I can’t believe you, you little Keith-loving…’ He was cut off by his inability to find an insult suited to his feelings of betrayal, his finger jaunted angrily towards the metal beast as his face flushed almost as red as its armour.

‘It wasn’t the red lion,’ said Keith in exasperation. ‘Coran mentioned something about you being glad to see the beach again. I just flew around the coast until I spotted your lion. It’s kind of hard to miss.’

‘Oh, right,’ muttered Lance, deflating like a whoopie cushion. His cheeks continued to burn as he crossed his arms and once again fixed his gaze on the denim waves being tossed on the horizon. Sure, the view wasn’t as breath-taking as it might have been in the sun, but something about the way the water hissed and roared as the sky emptied a barrage over it felt akin to his soul at the time.

‘ _Ugh, Keith’s emo is already rubbing off on me,_ ’ he thought bitterly, hugging himself tighter.

Keith came and sat down next to him, draping his own feet over the precipice. He hadn’t expected Lance to be so aggressive – sure, it was normal for the blue paladin to poke fun at him once in a while, but not when they hadn’t seen each other in weeks like this. Even through the dark tint of his helmet, Keith could see the thin lines under Lance’s eyes, like ripples in the water, a sign of disturbance. He was certainly agitated, no question about it.

‘Everything… alright?’ he ventured, tilting his head round to catch Lance’s attention.

Keith noticed the way in which the troubled paladin shuffled away from him, as one might from the fever of an open flame. ‘Yeah, of course. Why d’you ask?’

A particularly large bullet of rain knocked a wet clump of ebony hair into Keith’s eye. He scraped it aside with a disgruntled scowl. ‘Because you’re sitting alone in the rain, when you’ve got a perfectly good lion two inches away.’

Lance shrugged. ‘I kind of like it.’ A mischievous grin suddenly curled into his features and he stretched his arms out, tilting his chin skywards to embrace the watery onslaught. ‘Think of it like a shower, but without the soap.’

Keith eyed the arm that had been thrown into his chest, pushing it away gingerly. ‘But that’s not a shower. That’s just… standing in the rain…’

‘Correction,’ stated the blue paladin, taking back his limb and proffering a pointed finger instead, ‘ _sitting_ in the rain.’

‘But that’s the same…You’re not making any sense!’ Keith exclaimed in helpless frustration, batting the finger away in annoyance. He crossed his arms and resorted to glowering at the horizon, rather than having to endure Lance’s stupid grin.

Lance wore that grin like it was his favourite jacket. It was so easy to get Keith worked up. He loved watching the little cat face turn into a sulky pout, the way his mouth shrank even smaller and his dark brow fell like a blanket over eyes which swirled with quiet contempt, usually directed at him.

Keith caught him staring and it was instantly as if some invisible chord had snapped. Lance’s heart leapt as if lashed by the recoil and he swiftly averted his eyes, his whole body tensing.

‘Is something wrong?’

‘What? No, I was just-‘ It was then that he realised Keith hadn’t been talking about the staring. Relief filtered through him and in its wake came a feeling of aggravation. He’d honestly thought Keith would drop the subject after the teasing. He usually gave up if Lance pestered him enough.

‘Lance, I can tell when something’s bugging you. Usually it’s me, but today…’ He faltered, hoping that his friend would fill in the gap. No such luck.

He flashed his signature grin, the one that was so cheesy it triggered Keith’s lactose intolerance and made his eyeballs want to throw up. ‘You worry too much, Keithy-boy.’

‘Keithy-boy?’

Lance ignored the interruption. ‘I’m just taking in the sights, that’s all. Who knows how long it’ll be until we… until we get a view like this again.’

The way Lance had hesitated there; something clicked in Keith’s mind. ‘You’re worried that we won’t be coming back, aren’t you?’

‘What? Nooo,’ he drawled unconvincingly, making sure to keep his eyes focused anywhere except for Keith. Keith took this as a challenge and stared him down until he saw the dim cobalt discs waver in their erratic flight. He peered harder still until they slid round submissively to meet his own dark irises.

Lance gave in, his mouth straining into a smile like a steel rod through the eye of a needle. ‘Yeah, okay, maybe I’m wondering just a teensy, _tiny_ bit when we’ll be able to come back, but isn’t everyone? It took us this long to come back for a two-day visit, and anything could happen out there. We could get caught up in another battle, we could get stranded on another planet. Stuff like that happens to us all the time. Trouble just comes looking for us. We could die and our families… they’d never even know.’ The smile had melted away as he spoke, but on realising what he’d said he tried to slap it back together, like scraping the dripping ice-cream back up the side of the cone. ‘But it doesn’t matter. There’s no point thinking about things that might never happen, right?’

Keith was battling with his outrage at his friend being so dismissive and with his desire not to screw this up. He just had to make it through the conversation without yelling. Couldn’t be that hard, could it?

‘That’s ridiculous! Of course you should think about things that might not happen. If we didn’t, then we’d all have been killed ages ago. I don’t think it’s wrong to worry about those kinds of things.’ He thought he saw a flash of something in his friend’s eyes then, a brief search-light shining out towards him, but it was quickly replaced by a dull, languid blue, so unlike the rich ultramarine tones Keith was used to seeing there.

‘It’s not that I worry,’ laughed Lance, the sound completely devoid of joy. ‘Like I said, I was just… wondering.’ He focused his gaze on the grass beside his thigh, picking at the emerald stands absently.

The conversation was losing momentum again. Keith had to think fast. He wished Hunk were here instead of him. He was much better in these kinds of situations.

‘Was your family happy to see you?’ Keith could’ve sworn he saw Lance flinch, as if the question had hit him square in the chest. Grass poked out between his balled fingers, little jade needles.

‘Yeah, it was great. My Mom made my favourite dinner and I got to play with the kids – they got really big while I was gone. Camilo can already count to twenty.’ He said it like it was a big deal, but Keith failed to see how one could be impressed by such a menial success. ‘They kept calling me ‘space man’ and looking at me like I was some kind of God.’

‘You must’ve loved that,’ scoffed Keith, well aware of how big his friend’s ego could be.

‘Actually, I kind of hated it,’ he replied with a weak chuckle.

Keith raised an eyebrow dubiously. ‘ _You_ hated being adored like a God?’

Lance’s face dropped like a brick. ‘Look, it doesn’t matter. It’s stupid.’

‘Well if it’s so stupid, then it shouldn’t matter if you tell me.’

‘You just… wouldn’t get it.’

‘Why? Because I don’t have a family?’

Lance’s body jumped backwards and his eyes shot wide open in horror. ‘No! Why the Hell would you think that?!’

Keith shrugged awkwardly. ‘I don’t know. I just thought –‘

‘Well you thought wrong! This isn’t about you ok? It’s my problem.’

‘So, you do admit there’s a problem?’

Lance opened his mouth to speak, but the words didn’t come. He clenched his fists so tight he thought the tendons might snap and made a sound like a revving engine. ‘You are so annoying! Why can’t you just leave me alone?!’

‘Because you’re obviously upset and it’d make me a pretty big jerk if I just left you here!’ Keith could feel scalding claws wrap around his heart, cinders rising with his breath. He needed to keep his anger under control, but Lance made it so damn hard sometimes.

‘Oh boohoo! So I’m stuck with you because you need to feel good about yourself? You’d be less of a jerk if you pushed me off this cliff!’

‘Don’t tempt me,’ he warned, not entirely sure he wouldn’t do it. Lance did have a jetpack, after all.

‘Oh, my bad. That would probably make you feel worse, wouldn’t it? We can’t have Keith feeling like the bad guy, simply because he chose to intrude on my private contemplation and stick his nose in where it doesn’t belong!’

Keith sprang to his feet, working his shoulders as if he could shrug away his rage along with the fat raindrops that clung to his leather jacket. The halo of spray that rose from the grass as he stomped back and forth gave the impression that the ground was steaming under his feet. Just stay calm, stay calm!

‘You’re the one who’s being a jerk right now! I’m just trying to help!’ He forced his words through gritted teeth in attempt to keep himself from shouting.

Lance also got to his feet, marching right up in front of him. ‘I didn’t ask for your help! You suck at help!’

‘Yeah, well I’m trying, ok? Same as I tried when you came to me last time!’

‘Yeah well maybe that’s why I never came back!’

‘So you’re saying that I should have just let you give up? I should’ve just let you drop out and go home? You know you wouldn’t have been happy that way, Lance!’

‘You have no right to tell me what would make me happy! You’re the freakin’ _King_ of unhappy! You take one look at someone and instantly everyone’s in a bad mood. Well, you can go take your angsty crap somewhere else, because I don’t want it! No one does!’

Their noses were inches away now, each of them shooting daggers at the other from their eyes. Keith’s prickled with moisture as they always did when he got angry, and he felt the claw’s grip on his heart loosen for a second, allowing it one last painful breath before it finally submitted. It dragged its prey down into the depths of his stomach, leaving a torn chasm in his chest which stung harshly with defeat.

When Keith spoke, his voice was wrought with tension. He didn’t know what he was holding back anymore, whether it was a roar or a hiccup.

‘I didn’t come here to argue with you, Lance.’

‘Then why did you come here?’ spat the paladin, his voice coming down to match Keith’s volume. ‘You never did explain that.’

Keith took a deep breath and a step back, attempting to relieve the itch under his skin for being so close to Lance, and curb the ache in his stomach for being still so far away. ‘I came because I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I went to my father’s grave, I did the stupid talking to your dead parent thing where you pretend they can hear you even though you know that’s impossible, and then I was just…alone. And then I thought, I don’t have to be alone anymore. So yeah, I went looking for you, because I thought that if anything could take my mind off of how shitty my life is, it’s you and your stupid insults and your stupid jokes and your stupid smile and -’ Keith broke off, raking his shaking fingers through his soggy hair as if clearing the obstacles in his vision would also make clear his thoughts. ‘And then I got here and you were sad too and that made me feel worse and then I felt bad for feeling bad because you felt bad and now we’re both trapped here in an eternal cycle of feeling bad because I’ve pissed you off and I can’t even leave like you want me to because I used up all the fuel in my goddamn cruiser trying to hunt you down!’

Keith ripped his fingers from his hair and let out a vicious bellow, wishing he had something, anything to kick. He settled for up-earthing the fragile blades of grass around his boots, sending them flying with one powerful kick, like ugly confetti, each strand instantly speared by the rain pelting down on top of them. They laid across the ground like wounded soldiers; weapons, blood, tears, all soaking into the soil.

Keith didn’t even realise at first that there was a hand on his shoulder, not until he heard Lance screaming his name. He spun around, eyes ringed with pain and rage, his tears intermingling with streaks of rainfall, mixing the sky’s sorrow with his own.

‘Keith, stop it! Just chill!’ Lance could feel the muscles bunching, even through the thick jacket. He felt them shiver into submission, felt the steady rise and fall as a heavy breath was taken. Slowly, Keith’s eyes softened into a look of remorse and his grimace faded into a limp crescent.

‘I-I’m sorry.’

‘You better be! You scared the shit out of me!’

‘Sorry.’ Keith looked down at the carnage he’d inflicted on the terrain, unable to bring himself to face Lance’s expression of frightful awe again. ‘I’ll be by the cruiser. Let me know when it’s time to go.’ He wiped his eyes and started to move away, Lance’s fingers still gripping at his shoulder. One by one, each finger slipped and fell like divers from a board, until only one digit remained.

Suddenly, Lance lunged for Keith’s arm, wrapping each finger around it firmly, not letting him take another step away. Keith’s head jerked around and he looked in shock at the familiar gloved hand squeezing his bicep. When his gaze eventually drifted up, Lance was looking back at the ocean, his hollow eyes drinking in the view, as if maybe it could fill the black hole building in his stomach, as if maybe there, he could find the answers he was yearning for.

‘I just miss it.’

Neither of them moved, letting the rain wash over them, a cooling blanket to quench the last lingering embers of their raging tempers.

Keith spoke carefully. ‘Miss what?’

The wind picked up, flying around their heads, crooning at them in hushed tones to set free their worries, to let them be carried away into the distance, quiet utterances lost in the breeze, open to all yet privy to none.

Lance sighed, letting go of Keith’s arm and removing his helmet. He held it in both hands, his eyes jumping over each dent and scratch as they traced the rigid blue markings. ‘It’s stupid, I know, but when I’m in space, everything just feels so… alien. Here, everything’s so normal.’

He paused, but Keith knew he was preparing himself to say something more, something lingering in the back of his throat like a cough to be dislodged.

‘And me?’ he continued, ‘Where do I fit into this? I’m a paladin of Voltron: Defender of the Universe, but I’m also Lance McClain, just an ordinary human boy. The thing is, lately, I’ve been feeling so far away from that, from the Earth me, I mean. It’s like the guy that I’m supposed to be is so much bigger than the guy I used to be, and it’s starting to feel like I have to pick one or the other. I know I can’t just give up on Voltron, so does that mean I have to give up on all of this?’

It wasn’t a question that asked for an answer, but Keith gave it one anyway. ‘Don’t be an idiot. Yes, you’re a paladin of Voltron, but that doesn’t mean that’s all you are. You’re still you.’

‘How do you know? You barely knew who I was until we became paladins. How do you know that the me you know is actually me?’ He sounded so lost. For Keith, it was worse than a punch to the gut. It was worse than seeing him laying half-dead across the floor of the castle. It was worse than him not remembering the time he’d spent in his arms, clinging to life as Keith whispered gentle words of reassurance. He’d told him then that he was going to be okay. But Lance wasn’t okay. He hadn’t been for a while.

Determination flared in Keith’s chest, fuelling the words that rolled from his tongue. ‘I know it’s you because I know you. Living close quarters with someone for so long makes it impossible not to know them. I know you the same way that I know Shiro secretly likes old pop songs – he hums them when he walks down the castle corridors when he can’t sleep. I know you the same way that I know Hunk will do just about anything for a burrito, if only he had a way to get one. I know you the way I know Pidge would happily give her left arm for a decent motherboard, whatever the Hell a freakin’ motherboard is.’

Lance smiled weakly, his eyes grazing Keith’s with a cursory glance. ‘It’s ok Keith. You can stop. I know all this mushy stuff makes you uncomfortable.’

Keith shook his head adamantly. He wasn’t done yet. This time, he grabbed Lance’s arm, catching him in the un-armoured section on the inside of his elbow.

 ‘You’re a goof with a sense of humour I don’t think I’ll ever understand no matter how hard I try. Seriously, I still don’t get the Vol-Tron thing! You’re an ego-maniac who’s far too proud of his looks, but then who am I to judge? I run a broken comb through my hair and call that formal-wear. You’re an obsessive flirt who never gives up, even when his attention is clearly not wanted. You’re annoying and loud and immature and –‘ Keith realised that he was gripping Lance’s arm pretty tight and immediately let go. Lance pulled it back and rubbed his elbow dazedly, his gaze fixed like cement on the man who was practically screaming at him now.

‘And you’re a good friend, to everyone. You have this profound trust for strangers which granted makes you an easy target for deception and has gotten you into trouble more than once, but you’re a good person, Lance. You always try to do the right thing, and you never let your emotions get in the way. I wish I could think half as clearly as you in a battle. Even if you’re a complete tool the rest of the time, as soon as you put that helmet on, you immediately know what has to be done and you do it. That’s not because you’re a paladin, that’s because you’re you, and it’s why I – why we…’

There were a few moments when only the gentle drum of rain could be heard as it hit each of their armour, playing a refrain to the persistent beat of their hearts. Keith composed himself and finished what he had to say.

‘You say you don’t know if you’re a paladin or if you’re Lance. Well, you’re both. You say you don’t know if those two worlds can mix. Well look at me, standing right in front of you. For the love of quiznak, I’m a human-alien cross-breed! _And_ , I hope, someone you can call a friend. If that’s not proof that it can work, then I don’t know what is.’

Lance didn’t say anything at first. He was watching the way Keith’s dark eyes flashed with intensity, filled from the depths of their deep ocean blue with passion and ferocity. He saw the way his shoulder’s shook with exhilaration as they rose and fell with each heavy breath. He felt his eyes begin to sting, but not with frustration or sorrow.

Lance laughed lightly, shattering the leaden atmosphere like a porcelain vase. The sound was so crisp and floated in the air, unburdened by the tumultuous weather. ‘You know, I can’t tell if that speech was more made up of compliments or insults,’

Keith didn’t say anything; he felt like he’d already used up more than his daily allowance of words. Instead, his eyes stumbled lethargically over Lance’s features, looking for, but hoping not to find a hint of the dismay that resided there before.

Lance ran a hand over his forehead, sweeping back his hair with an ease that seemed impossible. ‘We should probably get going, before Shiro sends out a search party.’

He held out his other hand to Keith, whose resolve fled like a candle blown out. His heart thumped almost painfully against his chest as he regarded it tentatively. Lance’s smile dipped and his brow knitted in irritation. ‘Dude, don’t leave me hanging.’

As soon as Keith felt the tender cushion of Lance’s palm press against his, he was yanked into a firm hug, Lance clapping him on the back. ‘Thanks, Mullet,’ he croaked softly, his warm breath melting into the moistness on Keith’s neck and making the hairs stand on end. Keith stood just as rigidly, reaching around to pat Lance in return.

When they pulled apart, their hands remained wrapped around one another for a second longer, Lance’s smooth grey glove curling over the rough dark leather of Keith’s. Keith felt his own lips tug upward into a smile as he noted the rich sapphire tones which now swam excitedly in Lance’s eyes, little dolphins that had been waiting far too long to burst into the light and fill their sweet aching lungs. Not even the warmth of the Cuban air was enough to match the warmth that overtook his senses at that moment.

‘Let’s go,’ beamed Lance, as their hands finally fell apart. He hooked a finger in Keith’s sleeve and pulled him along a little, before trotting ahead. He signalled for Keith to follow as he stalked off towards the red lion, the spring in his step more pronounced over the turgid soil.

‘Right behind you,’ Keith murmured fondly, flexing his hand against the ghostly pressure that wouldn’t seem to leave. A few steps ahead, Lance was doing the same thing.

 This wasn’t the first time Keith had been there for him, and he knew that it certainly wouldn’t be the last. His words, as messy and disjointed as they were, had connected with something deep inside him. They’d tugged on the harpoon in his chest until it was loose enough to stop aching, to allow some of the pressure to bleed out, and then he’d gone ahead and patched the hole. He knew it wasn’t a permanent fix. He was always going to feel a little out of place, but at least he knew he wasn’t alone, just like Keith knew that he wasn’t alone.

Lance’s heart fluttered at that thought and he couldn’t stop his lips from stretching so far it ached. It was a sweet ache though, one that made him feel whole and alive, spreading to every pore and radiating outwards like an invisible aurora. Lance just hoped that one day, he’d be able to help Keith feel the same way.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my first Voltron fanfic! I hope you enjoyed it! I've got lots of stuff planned for the future so I hope you'll check in again and read some of my other stuff ;)  
> 'Til next time!


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